


A Mother's Love.

by SulfurTungstenSliver



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Death, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 14:10:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1094853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SulfurTungstenSliver/pseuds/SulfurTungstenSliver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts.  A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.  ~Sophia Loren<em></em></em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>  <em><br/><em>Phil Coulson is a hero and Jessica Coulson won't hear another word about it.</em></em><br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	A Mother's Love.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Can I be a hero?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/897637) by [OneGoodEye (orphan_account)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/OneGoodEye). 



"Phil come on inside _."_ Jessica Coulson calls watching as her son runs around the yard with a Captain America shield which had been signed by the man who had played Cap in the last Captain American movie Phil had dragged her too.

It had taken months of saving up and patching up her dresses, taping her shoes together to buy the actual shield, and she had stood in a  line for hours while it had been raining and the temperature was a nice 30 degrees to get it signed but it had been completely worth when Phil had nearly swooned when seeing it.

"Guess I’ll just have to find somebody else to lick the spoon.” She calls out one more time, laughing as Phil nearly leaves a dusk shadow in his wake as he runs towards the door and Jessica is pleased she got this day of work.

Later when she’s tucking him in he asks. “Mama do you think I could be a real hero? Like Cap?”

Jessica looks down at her son, who has her late husband’s eyes, and says very quietly like a secret to be shared between the two of them. “If you want to be, honey. You can be a hero.”

 

* * *

"Phil what happened?" Jessica asks, alarmed, as Phil walks into the kitchen with a split lip and a bruise already showing on his cheekbone and his little sister holding his hand looking up at him with a look of amazement and adoration.

"Some kids were picking on Hannah." Phil says, with a defiance already showing in his blue eyes. Jessica sighs reaching over to wet a paper towel.

"Honey this is your third fight this month." Jessica sighs holding the paper towel to his lips. “You need to stop.” She tells him, and it’s only half assed because he’s Phil and she knows that he's been addled by years of Captain America comics and she wouldn't have him any other way.

“If idiots keep picking on other people then I won’t.” Phil mutters.

“Go to your room.” Jessica tells Phil, with a hint of anger but mostly weariness.

Hannah watches him go with stars in her eyes and Jessica spends the time making dinner wresting with words and wondering if she should compliment her son or yell at him.

She finally finishes with the sauce and walks into Phil’s room giving a knock and finding Hannah on the bedspread recounting every detail of how awesome Phil was. Phil is mostly just nodding, hiding his smile,

“Hannah, food’s on the table.” Jessica says and Hannah nods solemnly giving Phil a pat on the knee for support and a pleading look towards Jessica.

Phil suddenly sits up taller his face going solemn and for a second he looks like the spitting image of her late husband.

“Phil.” She starts, as soon as she gets her breath back, sitting down on the bedspread, mentally sighing as she hears the creaks of her old bones.

“Mama.” Phil replies and Jessica gives him a glare.

“Phil,” She starts again, before chuckling, “I don’t know if I should yell at you or I should compliment you.”

“Mama, do you think I can still be a hero?” He asks and Jessica looks over at him with shock. It had been over seven years since he had asked that question, and she had been almost certain he had forgotten it, and mostly because of the out of the blueness of it but his solemn eyes tell her that’s it’s a real question.

“Phil,” She starts and almost can’t talk, and when she finally does it comes out slightly hoarse. “If you want to be, honey.”

 

* * *

“Mama.” Phil says and Jessica looks over at with a grin as she takes in his nervousness. Probably going to ask more advice for dating. “I’m going into the Army.”

Jessica’s heart stops and her throat feels like it’s being squeezed tight. She wants to demand he take it back. She wants to wrap him in bubble wrap. She wants to go back in time and scream at herself for telling Phil about her late husband’s legacy and she let him read Captain America comics. She wants to return the time back where he had Captain America shield and was content with taking out pretend villains, before he could join the army.

She won't do any of things. But, god knows she wishes she could.

“That’s great, honey.” She tells him and if she hugs him just a bit too tight neither of them comment on it.

“Still think I can be a hero?” He asks and Jessica looks into eyes so like her own and smiles before nodding.

“If you want to, darling.” She says taking his face in her hands and kissing on the forehead and if his eyes become a little brighter than usually.

Well, she isn’t at liberty to say.

 

* * *

“Mama can I ask you something?” Phil says and Jessica smiles, devilishly.

“You already have.” She says, dryly and Phil sighs.

“Shame on you.” He says tsking, but Jessica can hear his smile down the phone.

“What do you need?” She asks moving her phone to beneath her cheek as she throws the chicken into the skillet.

“Is that chicken?” Phil asks, and it’s Jessica’s turn to tsk.

“That’s a very poor distraction technique.” She says. “Now please ask me what you were going to?”

Phil takes a deep breath. “IthinkImightbeinlovewithaguy.”

“Okay,” Jessica says and tries to hide her giggle behind a cough. “That’s not a question.”

“You’re laughing at me.” Phil complains.

“Yes, I am.” Jessica tells him easily and smiles at Phil’s startled laugh.

“Does this happen to be the same guy you were thinking about the Christmas a few years ago?” She asks.

“What?” He asks and Jessica smiles hearing the flat tone hiding surprise and embarrassment.

“Phil, you may be a mystery to some people but I’m your mother and you can’t hide anything from me.” She tells him and Phil sighs. “Come on, spill the beans.

 “He’s so gorgeous, Mama.” He starts quietly, and it feels like it’s a secret. It probably is too. “And he’s so smart. But he doesn’t believe me when I tell him….. Oh god, this is starting to sound like a Taylor Swift song.” He interrupts himself.

“It seems to me you got a case of the love bug.” Hannah says and gives her musical laugh at Phil’s spluttering.

“Nobody asked you, Hannah.” Phil huffs and Hannah shrugs.

“I think you should talk to him, big bro.” She says before a naked three year old toddler comes shrieking through the house with her husband chasing behind him clothes in hand. “Tyler you need clothes.” Hannah sighs before chasing after them.

“I really like him.” Phil admits after a moment and Jessica lets herself somber up.

“Then you should ask him out.” Jessica tells him.

“Mom, he’s too…” Phil says.  “Good. For me.”

“Well that tells me loads about my parenting.”

“What?” Phil asks. “No, mom, I didn’t...”

“Phil, honey, please ask him before you overthink this.” Phil huffs. “Much more.” Jessica concurs.

“Mom, do you think I can be a hero?” He asks and he sounds like he’s still 18 and about to go to war, and maybe he is.

“If you want to be, honey.” She tells him.

 

* * *

"Clint, don’t be stupid.” Jessica hears and she barely refrains from running towards the door and flinging it open.

She hasn’t seen her son for over five years and she really doesn’t want to wait a second later.

“She’ll love you.” Phil says.

“I don’t know.” A voice that Jessica can only say belongs to Clint Barton says and his voice is low and husky but Jessica can hear the strain of self doubt underneath it. “I’m not really the type people take home to their folks.”

“Well, to be fair my mother hasn’t had anybody brought home in over thirty years so it’s safe to say that I think she’s just happy that the church wives aren’t gonna pester her about who Phil is dating.”

“Okay.” Clint says and Phil knocks at the door and Jessica finally runs to the door and throws her arms around Phil for a tight hug before she moves to Clint who tenses up before slowly relaxing.

“Mama, I think you can let go now.” Phil says. Jessica lets Clint go slowly before giving Phil a mock glare.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Coulson.” Clint says politely, jumping in and saving his partner from a mock lecture. Jessica gives him about three extra points.

“None of that.” Jessica says. “Everybody calls me Jessica.”

“Okay,” Clint says with a blooming smile on his face. “It’s nice to meet you Jessica.”

“Likewise, Clint.” She says. “Now what do you want for dinner? Spaghetti or chicken?”

“Uh…spaghetti?” He says and Jessica makes a note about the hesitancy.

“Good, that’s the only thing we’ve got.” Jessica says with a quick grin pleased when Clint laughs.

“Clint, why don’t you go and get Mama’s surprise.” Phil says, with a loving smile that Clint visibly brightens under before walking out of the house with a bit of a spring in his step.

“Where did you find that poor boy?” Jessica asks the second Clint is out of earshot.

“Mama it’s…” Phil starts.

“Classified.” They finish together Phil with a shrug and Jessica with a put upon expression.

“Here we are, Jessica.” Clint says jogging back in the living room with an almost embarrassed expression as he gives her a small necklace.

“Oh you two shouldn’t have.” Jessica says flat-footed as Clint almost shyly hands it to her. “It’s gorgeous. Thank you.” She says to both of them giving Phil a kiss on the cheek and giving Clint another hug that takes even him even less time to relax into.

“Now, can you cook?” She asks Clint, who looks a bit surprised before saying. “I’m alright.”

“Good,” She nods before pointing her finger at Phil. “You go and get the bags from the car.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Phil says put upon but with a smile dancing around his lips, and Clint watches him go curiously.

“You know I’m never heard him talk with a accent.” He says with a curious light in his eyes.

“He went to some real lengths to hide it let me tell you. He was in drama and his teacher made them all get rid of _their_ accents.” She says, with a smile.

“Wait, Phil was in drama?” Clint asks, and Jessica nods. “This is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship, Mrs. Jessica.

Later after Clint and Jessica had shared all types of secrets and had bemoaned the fact that Phil is a control freak of the highest caliber and snores like elephant with a head cold.

“Mama.” Phil asks as they clean the dishes and Clint is upstairs taking a shower. “I think I’m going to ask Clint to marry me.”

“That’s wonderful.” Jessica nearly shrieks throwing her arms around him not even bothering to dry her hands off.

“Still think I can be a hero?” Phil asks and Jessica rests her head on his shoulder.

“Of course you can, honey.”

 

* * *

“And now Jessica Coulson’s son will now speak.” The reverend says and Clint squeezes Phil’s hand as he walks towards the podium.

“My mother was the strongest woman I’ve ever known.” Phil starts without preamble. “I remember when I was younger and I was obsessed with Captain America. I wanted a shield so bad and I whined for months for one and my mother saved for months. I don’t think she bought any new shoes and clothes that entire year and Christmas morning I woke up and it turns out my mother had gotten it signed.” Laughter comes from the crowd because everybody in town had known she had.

“And I have only one more thing to say to all of you.” Phil says looking at his mother’s smiling face. “My mother was a hero.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it. It's kind of my first time writing something and then posting it so yeah.
> 
> This was inspired by OneGoodEye's Can I be a hero and you should check that out if you haven't already.


End file.
